EKKA 2009

[kiwi]

My mate went on the Rock N ROll, he was very impressed. He also rode XXXL, said he enjoyed it. I made the mistake of riding Lauries Breakdance, never again. Too fast and too long for me, must be getting old. However I did enjoy a experience on both of the Fun Houses (very entertaining) and the Haunted Mansion

I was dissapointed that I couldn't get a good view of the Pirates Revenge, was very hard to appreciate the scale of it all.

Also enjoyed a ride on Durkins Wheel just on dusk. I was surprised the big Wheel didn't return, was looking forward to riding it.

[Hurricane]

After a few days of recovering from the EKKA. I finally have my review Enjoy!

Sky Walker:

After almost a year since last riding, I have to say that it is my new favorite ride just edging over Space Roller. The appearance was second to none, and the cycles seemed to be a lot smoother and longer as well as more intense. Overall I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10 with Luke at the controls.

Space Roller:

The ride is looking immaculate, with the tunes absolutely pumping through the sound system. The new signs really make the ride look complete again. With Tyrone at the controls it proved to be a very solid and intense ride. 9 out of 10 from me.

Rock-n-Roll:

While the ride is faster than Bells Thunderbolt, I still prefer the almighty Bolt due to the swinging of the cars that the newer version doesn't offer. The appearance of the ride was nothing short of spectacular with plenty of tunes belting out and lots of spruiking from the Chant's boys. 7 out of 10 from me.

Wave Swinger:

The ride was looking brilliant, and for once it didn't break down with me around which I'm sure Luke and Chris were happy about that. The ride lasted around 3 minutes and was running very smooth. 7 out of 10.

Sky Flier:

To be honest, I didn't enjoy my ride very much. It was fast, and looked great but for some reason I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. 6 out of 10

Crazy Coaster:

I was very reluctant to spend my money on this ride after past experiences on it. However my opinion has changed since then. The ride provided Plenty of spinning and was in immaculate condition. I would happily give this ride a 8 out of 10.

BreakDance:

Wow... I have NEVER felt so sick after a ride since my zipper virgin flight. The ride was running amazingly, making me and several other riders very dizzy. Thank god they now have gondola breaks otherwise I would have fallen flat on my butt. 8 out of 10.

XXXL:

This ride is a hard one to review, as it really varies depending on the operator. My first ride was good, with plenty of flipping. However my 2nd ride with Mattie left alot to be desired. I was pissed off because I know what the ride can do, and it seemed to have a fault causing it to stop. Instead of waiting 5 minutes for the ride to be fixed, they just pretended the ride had finished despite a 30 second ride. Hence why Mattie said it was a "XXXl dissapointment"
Later in the night however, the ride was running beyond what I thought it was capable of. Pulling a heap of G-s, almost more than what No Limit was pulling in it's prime. Overall I'd rate it a 8 out of 10 because of the average rides I had in general on it.

Speed:

The ride seems to have some new lights on the main tower of the ride, as well as a general touch up on the paint. The cycle seemed to be alot better than previous years, lasting around 2 minutes each way. The ride went full pelt straight up, before slowing down a little bit and then speeding right up again. Overall i'd give it a 8 out of 10.

Zipper:

Most of my rides on Short's Zipper had been rather poor, however having 2 other people in the cage made for a very interesting ride at night. Our cycle lasted around 4 minutes due to having showies in the car with me. At one point we litterally did not stop flipping for almost a minute. However during the day the ride was not operational due to some technical issues. This would have been the best ride on a Zipper i've had yet. 8.5 out of 10.

Power Surge:

The ride was looking very clean with what appeared to be new lights on the main arms. The deck and backdrop also looked brand new, it just goes to show that Joylands really take pride in there gear. The cycle was long and intense, but could not compare to Space Roller or Sky Walker. Overall i'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Pirates Revenge:

This is one ride that is very fun to ride at night. After talking to one of the operators, who remembered Kate from a while ago. They decided to pump the water FULL blast. I came off absolutely soaked, only to be sent around another 3 times because they were just cycling empty boats. I was very skeptical about this ride, not thinking a traveling flume could provide such a soaking and be worth my money. However I can now eat my words, as I got more drenched than most theme park water rides would get me. It was looking spectacular with every light working on the ride. I'd give it a 8.5 out of 10.

[princess]

Thank you Hurricane and Kiwi, I have already sent this off to Ben, so just need Josh to send his.

As for breakdance, that was the ride that Zamperla, Ben and I got off a couple of years ago, that nearly did us in for the rest of the day, yes Kiwi, age does have something to do with it, sorry to be the bearer of bad news

[Hurricane]

I am just about to hit 18... I can see my riding days are numbered lol. A ride on XXXL nearly grounded me as well.

[princess]

OHHH very funny Hurricane

[Zamperla]

Great review Hurri, as always. I almost feel like I was there (except for feeling sick)

[Paulie123]

I haven't been on Lauries breakdance, but I didn't feel the best myself after cyber party. One of those days I guess.

Nice reviews guys. XXXL looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait to try it. Rock n roll looks great too. Hopefully I can make it to Ekka one year to try Insanity seem it doesn't do Syd.

[PNC]

i got into the show on tuesday and forgot my dam camera, i will make amends to this as i will return tomorrow night, here is what i went on from start to end of my day:

XXXL, this was a good ride, but i truely like hard rock more as i think it is faster, i will reride this tomorrow to try again, but i ws a little dissapointed as i was expecting something similar to no limit, the ride however was well presented, one other thing i didnt like was how portable it looked, its great to be very portable but i like the look of a ride that seems like a park model, still a good ride and i will rate it after i try again.

rok n roll, what a ride, i hate spinning rides but i could not turn down such a beautiful ride, this is one stunning machine and i am most certain chants will do really well where ever it goes, it was stupidly fast in both directions but i found myself screaming for more to see how much the operator would get it going, i wont re ride it due to me not liking this type of ride, but i will rate it 9 / 10, its presentation alone would get it that

sky flyer, somehow i got my wife on this ride, it was enjoyable and adding to the thrill of a family ride was how close it was to kamakaze, it felt like we were going to hit it, a fun ride with a good cycle, i would love to have this ride as my own, for the family ride i would rate it 8 / 10

crazy coaster, this is the first time i have been on a portable coaster and i never realised what i was missing out on, it was really fun (i got my wife on this as well and for the record, the best she has done in the past is a ferris wheel LOL) i was suprised as to how smooth the ride was and makes me wonder why parks cant keep there coasters running as smooth, i rate this 8.5 / 10 purely for the fun factor (i got the photo as well, but she says im not allowed to show anyone)

sky walker, this was my favourite this visit, i seemed to get myself into a really comfortable position which made the ride so much better and the operator seemed to get it going pretty good, i will be on it tomorrow night for sure, i rate this 9 / 10

space roller, usually one of my favourite rides, but it didnt do much for me this time, i dont know if OZ was operating, but i will ask tomorrow when im there and maybe he will show me what it has got, i still rate this machine 8.5 / 10 as i know what a good ride it can be and i wont let one bad experience on it let me down and i look forward to riding again

[princess]

Thanks PNC, great to read your review, I am really looking forward to seeing Rok n Roll, after your description, if you enjoyed the ride, I am a bit perplexed as to you wont ride it again, did it make you feel sick??

Glad you got your wife on a couple of rides. We will look forward to your return trip, with the photos.

[Zamperla]

PNC well done (on convincing the skeptical wife, never an easy task)

The trick with the crazy coaster is to get it as unbalanced as possible. If you and the wife were the only ones in the car, sitting next to eachother, I imagine there would've been some serious spins. It's a great ride, always in tip-top operating condition due to Taz's dilligent operation of it.

[Josh in Rocky]

Well, well, well... What a great time compared to regionals! hehe... Apart from the gear that was there, I couldn't come to grips with the size of the place. We went sat night, sunday day time, and went back sun night. (Sun night was only supposed to be for dinner, but being a little quieter in yogo alley, we went on a few...
After the first day we both went and bought new shoes! Which was possibly the best investment all weekend.
Each time we went, we saw something new, which was great.
One thing that impressed me, is who comes up with the ideas for these sideshow games??? There was so many games I had never seen before, and whoever comes up with the concepts is a genious! hehe... We couldnt help but have a few games on the sunday night.. fun fun...

As for the big stuff.... XXXL bringing the heat!! I went on sunday night and it went for probably a minute or so longer than mattie's ride earlier in the day. When we watched it other times it would go over the top, the just back and forth with the gondalas released and that was it, but our cycle went back up with the gondalas released nearly a full rotation, but definately a longer ride. they seemed to have some teething problems with balancing or something as they would try to start the ride and the platform would go down then straight back up. One of the boys dissapeared behind the trailer with a ratchet, and it was all good again... Worked fine the rest of the time we saw it... And we watched it alot! Nearly stalker like!! hehe

First time I had seen power surge in the flesh and it looked terrific. Love the neon look, a little unique, not sure how long it'll last before it plays up as neon does, but it looked great! It also got stuck circulating at full height and lost power. Sat up there and just spun until it eventually stopped, then it returned to the ground. All of the lights stayed on though too. Didnt ride it, but was glad I got to see it.

Anyone know what happened to the Claw?? Sat idle with the lights on the whole time we were there. Shame as I hadn't seen the big girls for quite a few years:(

For me though, still the most impressive ride of the show is still space roller. I commend an operator who can stay up beat and make an effort with his music and effects etc all day and all night. Everytime we went near the ride the whole crew was moving around, (not half asleep) the tunes were crankin, and the lighting was top shelf. Could watch this ride for hours. And I sort of did!

Honestly though, I thought there would have been more rides. Like mentioned earlier, i think too that they need to open more area for sizzlers, ali baba etc. Was hoping to see the supa sizzler, maybe one day...
Overall, very impressed, had a ball, and now I have the ekka flu!!!! haha....

Will put the pics up soon.

[Josh in Rocky]

Now that I've stopped, i remember the ones I missed. Best display is a tie between Roller Ghoster and the Pirates Revenge.
I just couldnt see much from their viewing area or beside the flume, so was a little dissapointed there. Still looked great though.
And RocknRoll is a bullet! I can only compare to Alpine express, but it was a great ride and looked excellent. Chants are on a winner i think.

[PNC]

yeh rock n roll made me feel sick, thats why i dont usually go on spinning rides, id rather go over the top and be thrown around (with the exception of zipper) i only went on the ride to say i had done it, the ride was great, it was the walking off that got me LOL.

and there was 3 of us on the coaster, we had heaps of spinning, pics next week, im to busy this week to upload them now

[princess]

Thanks Josh, know what you mean about watching a ride almost stalkerish, that is what I do with No limit, also I attracted attention, whilst watching a game, which was a bit embarrassing, especially as the kid seemed to get a bit aggressive with me watching, anyways, I love to see how they interact with the people, (I should of been a shrink). I could consult, sort of like a mystery shopper.

[Aussie Ride Broker]

Well it's almost over for another year. And what a show 4 new rides operating for the first time ever at Brisbane. And what should have been a real busy time for the operators seem to have turned out to be a financial disaster for some of them. Walking around side show alley during people's day on Wednesday should normally take a good 20 minutes to walk up each lane, but with not a great crowd was an easy 5 minute walk. As the local paper says the crowds are down around 20%, but rent is up again this year, and gate prices are to steep for families to afford. Hopefully next years show will be better planned and balanced so families can afford to attend. Ride owners also need to price their rides so families can afford to ride. Gone are the days where the industry was charging $3,$4 and $5 per ride, today we have $7, $8 and $10 rides. I know insurance keeps going up (that's another subject I won't get started on, as a lot of people know my option on this), maybe dropping the prices back a bit might encourage more patronage and put more bums on seats as the old saying goes. Let's hope the 2010 Ekka is better designed for families so they can afford to attend a Qld Tradition.

[princess]

I had heard Sunday that the show was not doing well, hoped it was just early days, rents should be tiered to gate takings, if they are down, rents should be. imo

[tooheyzz]

Thats not good news for the operators the major capitals show would be there big earners for the year

Familys have only so much disposable money and when you compare what it would cost for ekka entry for the average family and a few rides/games/dagwood dogs/drinks and showbags etc a trip for the day to one of the gold coast theme parks would probably work out less
of course the ekka has more New Rides to offer as well as other type entertainment the a theme park but that only if you can afford to Ride

I'm quite surprised that swine flu or the flu in general hasn't been blamed on the News for the low Crowds maybe there waiting to the ekka ends so as not to scare of more people

Edit
Just came across a youtube account with a few ekka videos

I see what PNC means about XXXL very portable look

http://www.youtube.com/user/tkcell

[katestow77]

ok i no its a few days delayed but here is my ride review.

Sky Walker

A few days after riding it at Ekka i went on it 3 times with a few friends and it had a great ride cycle of about 3mins with Luke in the controls it was an awesome ride. naturally it looked fantastic without a doubt and so smooth it was unbelievable.
i give it a 8.5 outta 10

Space Roller

still looking good after twelve months, music had a good beat to it , very inviting; the new displays made it look complete. fairly intense ride, Tyrone at controls made it really pump i give it an 8 out of 10

Wave Swinger

ride looking good as always good ride cycle , lasted three to five minuets ran very well as always 7 out of 10

sky flyer

first time i rode it was at day with tiff , scared the absolute daylights out of me was not even three foot of the ground before i started screaming and completely freaked out. second time i rode it was at night with hurricane and found it to be more calming but still did nothing for me. 5 out of 10

crazy coaster

when I rode it a few years ago i thought it was a sh** ride , this time i rode it with three other friends. so much spinning and unexpected turns a real thrill of turns. great ride i give it a 7.5 out of 10

breakdance

so much better then cyber party . great ride cycle , did not seem to throw me around as much; i give it a 8 out of 10

XXXL

first time i rode it did nothing for me, gave me a headache the first time. really bad ride cycle was not worth the first 10 dollars. wasn't able to full load as it was causing it not to spin or flip properly. second time i rode was still left alot to be desired, got on it a third time the ride was running better then i thought it was capable of doing so. lots of flips once the buckets drop.. 8 out of 10 would have scored better but two bad rides don't make it to gold

rock n roll

pretty fast ride but the cars don't swing , plenty of tunes being pumped out. 7 out of 10

speed

nothing in comparison to freestyle not much more to say ... a struggling 6 out of 10

zipper

Went on the zipper with a mate and i can honestly say it doesn't do any thing for me there are two other zippers that are out there that are far more superior than shorts i didn't particularly like the ride at all i found it to rough and you smashed ya head on the bars 3 out of 10

power surge

always been a good ride red has always had great interaction with the riders and the ride is smooth not quite as good as the other two rides that flip and turn you upside down. i give it a 8 out of 10

pirates revenge

Have been waiting to go on this ride since i first seen the ride on the net and was posted a photo of it. i went on the ride the first time with hurricane and another friend it was a great ride made us laugh the whole way around even though it was a water ride and it was at night i thought Hurricane was going to duck and make us get wet. what an awesome experience it was for a traveling water ride. we went on it again another 2 times with an extra person these next few rides. it was by far the best ride i had all day/night so i give it a 9.5 out of 10
i do have photos so ill do my best to upload them to here and face book.

[princess]

Thanks Kate.

[Top Gunner14]

Thanks for everyone's reviews. Looking forward to seeing some photos

[chacha91]

It ended up being a last minute choice, and i was really glad that i went, Ive been to Sydney and i suppose nothing really compares to it. I was going to get some photos but the battery of both my camera and phone died (do you know how hard it is to find a payphone). It was good to see all the rides that i mostly only hear about, however i do wish i could have spent a bit longer.
The rides that I got on were:

Insanity - I've heard about this ride quite a lot and couldn't wait to try it out. It was looking a bit sad, with no proper lights and in need of a good paint job, however I found the ride experience to be insane and to the point that when I got off the ride I could no longer stand properly. If I had time I would have done it again.

Star Flyer - It's a great family ride, and it gave great views of the carnival, but in all honesty I prefer the wave swinger.

Space Roller - I had a dodgy ride last time in Sydney, however this time I was blown away by how good a ride it is.

I was at the show on the first Friday, and you could tell that it wasn't that busy, with most rides not even running half full loads. I also couldn't justify the 15 dollars it was for the new XXXL, especially when it was such a short ride cycle. PS sorry for the lack of photos

[Top Gunner14]

Glad you had a good time. Yeh I've been wanting to try Insanity for ages now, hopefully will see it around somewhere.

[Josh in Rocky]

Mention I think had to go to Pinks crazy cars as they had the biggest line up of customers i had ever seen on a tavelling ride!
They zigged, zagged, and zigged again, aswell as having a line up at the ticket booth!! Congrats Pinks. They deserve it.

[chacha91]

Almost forgot... thanks Josh, i had a go on Pinks dodgems, they were very well presented, very smooth, had a decent cycle length and were by far one of the most popular rides

[PNC]

well time for my short second review, we had a camera with us but it belongs to a friend of mine and i dont have the pics yet (not that they turned out real well)

i had a much better ride on XXXL, Space roller and sky walker (thanks OZ for the SR ride) also went back on crazy coaster and didnt miss hard rock this time and it took some convincing but i got my friends on spped:

it was night time this visit which made a huge difference, with most rides having smoke machines and strobes

XXXL: great ride this time, still think it needs padding to save smashing your head, but more flipping this time, cant wait to ride again

Space roller: finally got to meet OZ as he was giving the last few rides of the night, i thought the controls woul dbe more complex or a simple press of a button, but 2 dials and off you go, had a great ride this time, but i think it could go a little harder LOL

sky walker: this is my new favourite, im told this is a push button ride, so i guess it was the same old cycle, but i vever get bored of it, and now i have found a way to sit/stand comfortably i really have been enjoying it

hard rock: very bad position and the operators reflected this, they seemed to know they werent going to get extra riders by interacting and it was a shame, this is normally my favourite ride, but with the lack of riders i really would have like and i probably expected a longer cycle, still had fun, one of the staff from in the ghost train (roller ghoster i think) was out on the balcony watching us, we went directly above him, so it was fun as it looked like we were gonna land on him a few times, fun ride still but not the same in the poor position

crazy coaster: had another fun ride here, my mates didnt think it spun until we were going up the ramp, so that made it an experience for them, i still cant believe how well maintained it is and how smooth the trck is, we were the last on for the night and had a great time again.

speed: my mates got on first and due to noone else in line i asked the operator if they could go one end with me on the other, well they didnt like sitting up top, but i had a good laugh atthem, the ride is no where near as intense as no limit but i want to get the guys on as they were scared cause of the way it looks, had a good cycle and it is a very smooth ride, i look forward to rides chants freestyle to see if they are any different at all.

well thats me for this year, i hope to provide some images soon.